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When Dean Atchison’s phone rings, the person on the other end could be anywhere in the world. Atchison is president of Fargo’s Spectrum Aeromed, which designs and manufactures customized air medical and ambulance equipment.

Spectrum, which recently moved from Wheaton, Minn., to Fargo’s Hector International Airport, does worldwide business with customers ranging from hospitals to European royalty. “Our foreign market is important and growing,” Atchison said. Foreign demand for what Spectrum Aeromed offers is increasing rapidly, said Heather Ranck, international trade specialist for the U.S. Commercial Service’s Fargo office. The weak U.S. dollar – which makes American-made products more affordable to foreign buyers – gives overseas customers even more incentive to patronize Spectrum Aeromed, she said.

The company has domestic customers, too. One is Twin Cities-based North Memorial hospital, which has worked with Spectrum Aeromed since 1996. The Fargo company has upgraded six North Memorial helicopters over the past dozen years. “They provide what we’re looking for,” said Bob Rishovd, executive director of air ambulance operations for North Memorial.

Spectrum Aeromed was founded in Fargo, but later moved to Wheaton, Minn., where some of the former owners had ties. Coming back to Fargo was attractive because of Hector International and North Dakota State University, Atchison said. NDSU provides highly skilled graduates, including engineers, that Spectrum needs, and being based at Hector allows customers to fly their planes directly to Spectrum, Atchison said.

Additional space in Fargo – 14,500 square feet, compared with about 10,000 in Wheaton – also helps, Atchison said. He said Shawn Dobberstein, Hector’s executive director, and officials at Fargo Jet Center, a full-service fixed based operator based at Hector International, worked hard to bring Spectrum to Fargo. “Spectrum is a wonderful addition to the airport. An airport’s job is to provide aviation-related services,” Dobberstein said.

Atchison, a Moorhead native who spent 20 years as a Fargo-Moorhead banker, said he’d been interested for some time in having a business of his own. “We have excellent employees. But what I bring to the company is business discipline,” he said. Atchison is optimistic that sales this year will double from those in 2007 and that he’ll be adding more staff within the next 18 months. “We’re excited about coming to Fargo – coming back to Fargo, actually. We think it’s going to work out well for everyone,” he said.

Spectrum Aeromed - Makes customized air medical and ambulance equipment. - Sixteen employees, including five certified pilots. - Founded in 1991 in Fargo. Moved to Wheaton, Minn., in 1993 and returned to Fargo this month. - Bought a year ago by Dean Atchison, who serves as president and chief executive officer.